Another Day
by ice and coffee
Summary: Somehow, those two days were just so similar.


Day One

Tsubasa waited under the shade of a cool maple, her school bag held firmly in both her hands. The light autumn wind blew by teasingly, lifting her dark brown locks up before releasing and letting them gently drop down on her shoulder again. She was waiting for her childhood friend, Moji Kunihiko. A few minutes of waiting, and the boy occupying her thoughts showed up, the usual smile on his face.

"Sorry. Did I keep you waiting?"

Shaking her head, Tsubasa replied with a smile of her own. "Not at all." Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she stepped out of the shade and into the morning sun. "Let's get going." The two walked to school in a comfortable silence, broken by an occasional word or two. It wasn't always like this, Tsubasa reflected quietly. Once, Nagi would've been here as well, making lively chatter with the two of them. But now, it was just the two of them and Nagi was in the hospital. As if sensing her thoughts, Moji turned to look at her and smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Nagi will be alright."

A small frown tugged at the edge of Tsubasa's lips. He had said something along those lines yesterday too. Not only that, it seemed like there had been something bothering Moji recently. Although he never told her, Tsubasa could tell. Dismissing the thought, she nodded. She moved a little closer to Moji for comfort, not noticing the pain filling his eyes. As they entered the classroom, the two of them moved to their respective seats.

Even as they sat down, Tsubasa was reminded of the time when Nagi was in school. He'd be sitting right next to the two of them, laughing at something Moji said or teasing Tsubasa in some way. When the teacher came into the classroom, Tsubasa eased her notebook out of her bag and picked up a pencil, brushing aside her previous thoughts. It was no good to dwell on things like that. Her eyes trained on the board, Tsubasa listened to the teacher speak. She didn't notice the pair of thoughtful eyes from behind her.

After school, they made their daily trip to the hospital. It was routine by now; enter hospital, sit down with Nagi, help him with homework, talk with him, and then leave. Seeing her other friend like this tugged at Tsubasa's heart painfully. Maybe it was because she felt a sense of obligation, or compassion, but she gave him her best smile and continued to stay by his side.

When Tsubasa and Moji left the hospital, they were unaware that Nagi was staring at them from his window, a melancholy look in his eyes. Passing underneath the ginkgo tree, Tsubasa glanced up at the heart-shaped golden leaves. Raising one hand, she caught a falling leaf and held it up to the setting sun. Its heart shape only reminded Tsubasa of Nagi's condition. Catching her expression, Moji stopped. Tsubasa, now a few feet ahead of him, turned around.

"What's wrong, Moji?"

There it was – that look again, as if he was hiding a secret. "Don't worry," Tsubasa looked confused at his reply. "Nagi will be fine." Tsubasa resisted the urge to frown again. Why was Moji so determined there would be a donor for Nagi? And why did he look so lost whenever he said that? Taking a deep breath, Tsubasa smiled. She didn't want to see Moji like this.

"I know."

They walked to the orphanage together. Although they were much older than they used to be, they still lived there. As they stepped into the entryway, Tsubasa lingered by the door and watched Moji's retreating back. She admired everything about him – his kindness, his sixth sense, his kind brown eyes, the rich color of his light brown hair. Biting her lip, Tsubasa hurried into the house to catch up with him. Moji had no idea how much she loved him.

Day Two

It had been quite a few years since Nagi's transplant and his release from the hospital. Now, he was able to go to school and resume a normal life. Tsubasa leaned against the rough bark of the maple tree, eyes closed and listening to the sounds of the city life. It was the very same tree she used to wait for Moji all those years, but now he wasn't the one coming to greet her. "Yo, Tsubasa! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!" Her eyes opened to see her raven-haired friend waving from the entrance of the orphanage, school bag slung over one shoulder carelessly.

Tsubasa smiled, pushing herself off the trunk of the tree and clutching her bag tightly. "It's fine." She couldn't help but compare Nagi to Moji. Unlike Moji, Nagi didn't possess the same gentle kindness and manners of a gentleman. As the two walked to school, Nagi began chatting away, talking about random things that earned a nod and occasional response from Tsubasa. She wasn't exactly sure how to respond to the things he talked about. That was another thing. Moji always talked about things Tsubasa could respond to.

"Hey, you alright?" Tsubasa's head jerked up. "You seemed to be a bit lost there." She gave him a tight smile in reply. Picking up her pace, Tsubasa scolded herself for being so melancholy. She shouldn't be so pessimistic! After all, Moji had given himself up to save Nagi, so she should treasure the gift he left behind for the two of them. However, Tsubasa was only human – and like any human, she selfishly desired what had been taken from her.

School passed like any other day. Tsubasa was older now, in high school, and she had branched out. Instead of staying so close to Nagi like she did with Moji, Tsubasa made new friends. She still kept Nagi close though, because he was her precious friend and Tsubasa still wanted the three of them to stay together. Tsubasa had known for a while now that Nagi liked her. She never brought it up, because she didn't want to hurt his feelings. But today, Nagi asked her to stay afterschool. And that's when she knew. He was going to confess to her.

"Tsubasa." She fiddled with a lock of her brown hair, then looked up. "I like you."

There – he had finally said it. Now it was out in the open. Tsubasa bit her lip, unsure of what to say for a few moments. She could see Nagi's worried look at her hesitance and lack of response. "I…" she trailed off uncertainly. How could she put it so that she wouldn't offend him? But on the other hand…

"I can understand if you say no." Nagi said, preparing to leave. He was obviously hurt. Before he could step away, he was engulfed in a hug. Tsubasa had lunged forward and grabbed onto him, both her hands clutching at his shirt. A small smile broke across Nagi's face. "Is…is this a yes?" he asked, voice somewhat hopeful. A teary sob and a nod was all he received in reply. Wrapping his arms around Tsubasa, he whispered to the brunette, "Thank you, Tsubasa. I thought you were going to reject me because you loved someone else."

Unknown to Nagi, Tsubasa turned one teary face slightly towards the right. One of her hands let go of his shirt and laid gently on where his heart was. A weak smile crossed her face.

_"We're finally all together now."_


End file.
